


denouement

by tired_saint



Category: Paper Girls (Comics)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, One Shot, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 04:55:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21191921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tired_saint/pseuds/tired_saint
Summary: After the events of issue #25, set in 92 or 93





	denouement

"Karina! There's someone here to see you!"

KJ groans and lifts herself up from her bed. She winces as she steps onto the carpet and remembers that she sprained her ankle at her last field hockey practice.

"I'm coming down!"

Whoever's here to see her must have something important to say, because she was just getting started on her chemistry homework.

Her heartbeat quickens as she sees a familiar figure standing in the doorway. "Mac?"

"Hey." Mac looks exhausted, but she still offers a small wave to KJ and a polite "hello" to KJ's mom.

"Dinner's going to be ready in half an hour Karina, so don't take too long," her mother says. "Mackenzie's welcome to stay for dinner if she'd like."

KJ begins to lead Mac up the stairs before turning around to answer her mom. "Sounds great. I'll be back down soon."

As soon as the girls get into KJ's room, Mac begins to grin.

"What?" KJ asks.

"Nothing," Mac replies placatingly. "It's just...wow. Never thought I'd hear you get called "Karina" before."

"Shut up, _Mackenzie_," KJ scowls and lightly punches Mac in the arm. "If you keep this up I'm gonna make you leave."

"Whatever." Mac rolls her eyes and sits down on KJ's bed.

KJ closes her door before she sits down on her bed with Mac.

"So. What's up?"

"What do you mean 'what's up?'" Mac asks.

"I don't know. It's just that you usually don't come over through the front door." A silence falls over the girls as they remember the countless nights KJ had been kept up by Mac sneaking in through her window.

"Oh." Mac shifts uncomfortably on the bed and lights a cigarette. She swallows hard and fumbles her lighter.

The silence is deafening. "Are you okay?" KJ asks, her voice quiet.

Once again, KJ is struck by how tired Mac looks. Dark circles loom beneath her eyes, and she takes ragged and uneven breaths. Her nails are bitten and raw. She's practically shaking as she puts her box of cigarettes away. "I'm not going to be mad, Mac," KJ gently takes Mac's hand and squeezes. The smaller girl's hands are calloused from years of faithfully delivering newspapers on her bike every morning.

"...I..."

"Please just tell me," Her voice practically comes out as a plea. By now KJ's worried. The only other time that KJ sees Mac like this is when she comes over to get away from her house. If Mac's father is bothering her again, KJ swears she'll kill him.

"I...I'm sick, Kaje."

KJ lets out a sigh of relief and brings her hand up to Mac's face. "That's nothing to be worried about, Mac," she laughs and closes her eyes. "Oh my god, you had me so worried."

Mac swallows hard. "You don't understand, KJ. I'm really sick."

"What do you mean?" A sick feeling has made it's home in KJ's chest, slowly constricting her heart.

"The doctors said it's bad. They said...they said it's leukemia."

"That's not right." KJ knows what Mac said to her, but she's having trouble figuring out what it means. It just doesn't make sense. Surely KJ is dreaming. This has to be a sick, cruel joke that Mac's brother thought would be funny.

Mac offers KJ a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Kaje."

By now KJ's squeezing Mac's hand so hard her knuckles are turning white. There's so much she wants to say, but she just can't find the words. Finally, KJ is able to croak out a sentence. "So what's going to happen now?"

"I don't know," Mac answers. "The doctors talked about treatments we could do, but..."

"What?"

"They're expensive."

"So what? Your dad just isn't going to pay for it?" Tears have begun to well in KJ's eyes. She's afraid that if she says another word, they'll come streaming down her face.

"Come on, Kaje. Think about it. They all cost more than what my dad makes in a year." The ordinarily brash redhead's voice has become tight and strained, almost like it pains her to even force the sentence out.

Finally, KJ's resolve betrays her, and tears flow freely down her face.

"I don't want you to go."

"I..." Mac swallows hard and squeezes her eyes shut. "I don't want to either."

KJ lurches forward and buries her head into Mac's jacket. She knows that she's probably getting tears Mac's jacket, but she doesn't care. It seems like Mac doesn't care either, because she's let herself become swallowed up by KJ. They stay like that for a while, just holding each other and sobbing.

When they finally break apart, Mac sighs. She doesn't think she's ever cried this much in her life. Not when her dad screams at her, not even when her mom left. There's just something about knowing you're going to die that hurts. It's a dull ache in her chest that comes with the knowledge that she's also going hurt KJ, the person she loves most in the world.

"I'm so fucking tired," Mac murmurs, her face inches away from KJ's.

"Me too." KJ smiles sadly and gently grabs Mac's hand. She leans back into her bed with her finger's still entwined with Mac's. Mac follows her and is soon laying down, directly facing KJ in her bed.

KJ presses a quick kiss to Mac's lips. "I love you so much."

Mac takes another deep breath and looks at KJ. She isn't sure how much time she has left, but right now it doesn't matter. All that matters is that she's here, and she's here with KJ.

"I love you too, Kaje." Mac closes her eyes and moves in closer to KJ, wrapping an arm around her and drifting off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you all enjoyed, i'm sorry it was so angsty!! i wasn't originally going to post it, but this fandom is basically dead so why not? kudos and comments would be appreciated, please tell me if i got any details wrong or made any grammatical errors.
> 
> yell at me on twitter @worriedegg


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